The first program that aired on its first day was Jake and the Never Land Pirates. On the day before the launch, Playhouse Disney's Ooh and Aah mascots and its programs (such as My Friends Tigger and Pooh and Captain Carlos) were retired completely during the process of the transition from Playhouse Disney to Disney Junior.
The morning block was later renamed to "Mickey Mornings" in June 2020, now hosted by Mickey Mouse with segments starring him playing in between programs.Īs of January 2017, the channel is available to 74.0 million households in the U.S.ĭisney Junior's development began on when Disney-ABC Television Group announced the launch of Disney Junior (originally "Disney Kids" before being reworked) as a relaunching of Playhouse Disney that would serve as the brand for the Disney Chanel block & a new digital cable & satellite television channel in the US, as well as the brand for the blocks & channels bearing the Playhouse Disney brand outside the US.ĭisney Junior first launched as a programming block on Valentine's Day, 2011, ( February 14) replacing the Playhouse Disney block.
during the summer months and designated school break periods) and weekends from 6:00 to 9:00 a.m. Until January 2017, Disney Junior also lent its name to a morning and early afternoon program block seen on sister network Disney Channel, branded as " Disney Junior on Disney Channel", airing weekdays from 6:00 a.m. Aimed mainly at children ages two to seven, its programming consists of original first-run television series, theatrically-released and home media-exclusive movies and select other third-party programming. Disney Junior (formerly Playhouse Disney) is an American pay television network that is owned by the Walt Disney Company through Disney Channels Worldwide.